Guelph motorcycle noise bylaw ‘make-work project,’ councillor alleges

Guelph Mercury

GUELPH — Motorcyclists hoping for an early Christmas present at city council Monday night might be feeling a bit Scrooged.

Despite the concerns of two of their colleagues that noise restrictions on motorcyclists are unfair and “a make-work project,” the majority of city councillors approved a new testing protocol aimed at cracking down on loud bikes.

Kovach said she is also concerned about how the bylaw is to be enforced, noting only Guelph Police officers have the authority to pull over a suspected noise bylaw violator.

But Kovach questioned whether listening to motorcycles’ exhaust notes is an effective use of the police service, which recently introduced an online reporting system for minor crime in an effort to be more efficient.

The councillor suggested the bylaw will be a “bureaucratic nightmare” which unfairly targets motorcycles over other loud vehicles.

Coun. Cam Guthrie said the legislation “pits neighbour against neighbour” by providing residents with another tool to use against each other.

“I think this is a make-work project, and in fact I’m embarrassed I even referred this to staff in the first place,” Guthrie said.

Several motorcyclists urged councillors to scrap the idea.

Doak McCraney noted municipalities which have implemented similar restrictions are now facing legal challenges. He said the provincial Highway Traffic Act already regulates what is a legal exhaust system and provides officers tools to charge motorists who are unnecessarily making noise.

Bill Kerr, who came to the podium in a black and orange Harley Davidson jacket, said despite a notation to the contrary in the staff report, “Loud pipes do save lives.”

Kerr provided two examples of near-misses with cars, which he attributed to being able to rev his bike and make sufficient noise he got the drivers’ attention.

Fellow enthusiast Mike Theriault told council he rides a 1947 motorcycle, which would likely not pass the new noise standard. He added it would be nearly impossible to equip his bike with parts to allow it to pass.

“You can’t just go and find these parts,” Theriault said. “It’s going to fail and I know it’s going to fail.

“If it came off the (assembly) line that way why should it not be allowed?”

Doug Godfrey, the city’s manager of bylaw compliance and security, said officers will have some discretion in applying the law and would take the age of the vehicle into consideration.